Black Athletes in the Spotlight: HBCU Sports & Local Highlights
- Olivia Miles led the Minnesota Lynx, averaged 19.8 points and 6 assists, set multiple rookie records and swept Rookie of the Month honors.
- Flau'jae Johnson started every game for Seattle Storm and became the first WNBA rookie with 600+ points, 200+ rebounds, 100+ assists, 50+ steals, 28+ blocks.
- Sydney Taylor went undrafted but became the WNBA's all-time leading undrafted rookie scorer and the rookie leader in three-pointers made.
The WNBA has announced its six-person All-Rookie team, and it includes Olivia Miles (Minnesota Lynx), Azzi Fudd (Dallas Wings), Flau’jae Johnson (Seattle Storm), Sydney Taylor (Chicago Sky), Pauline Astier (New York Liberty), and Kiki Rice (Toronto Tempo). While normally only five rookies are selected, Rice and Astier received an equal number of media votes, resulting in the additional slot.
Azzi Fudd, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, appeared in 30 regular-season games for Dallas before suffering a season-ending knee injury. She averaged 13.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. Fudd finished fifth in points per game, first in steals per game, second in blocks per game, third in three-point percentage (.397), and first in three-point field goals made per game (2.1).
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Olivia Miles, the No. 3 pick in the draft, averaged 19.8 points, 6 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game, while leading the Minnesota Lynx to the best record in the league. Miles swept the WNBA Rookie of the Month honors this season and was named Western Conference Player of the Week twice. She set a litany of records in her rookie campaign, including the most games by a rookie in WNBA history with at least 20 points and a 50/40/90% shooting split (6).
Kiki Rice, the No. 6 pick in the draft, averaged 13.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 0.8 steals per game. She ranked fourth among rookies in scoring while shooting 47.2% from the field, 35.1% from three-point range, and 86.9% from the free-throw line.
Flau’jae Johnson, the No. 8 pick in this year’s draft, made an immediate impact in Seattle, starting all 42 games she played this season and averaging 14.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.7 blocks. She became the first player in WNBA history to record 600+ points, 200+ rebounds, 100+ assists, 50+ steals, and 28+ blocks in their rookie year.
Sydney Taylor, who went undrafted, averaged 13.6 points and 2.0 assists in 37 games. She became the WNBA’s all-time leading undrafted rookie scorer, and finished the season as the league’s rookie leader in three-pointers made (71). She finished as the third-leading rookie scorer in the league.
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Pauline Astier, who also went undrafted, averaged 9.3 points and 3.3 assists per game. She closed the season with a .635 true shooting percentage, the highest among rookies in WNBA history with at least 200 field goal attempts. Her 54.6 percent field-goal percentage was the highest by a rookie guard in WNBA or NBA history with at least 250 attempts.
In addition to the six rookies honored, there were several other standout rookies this season, a list that includes Laura Juskaite (Toronto Tempo), Lauren Betts (Washington Mystics), Awa Fam (Seattle Storm), among others.
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